I was shocked to turn on my computer yesterday morning and learn that the Doctor Who Forum, formerly known as Outpost Gallifrey, will be closing down for good come the end of July. This site is – was – the place to go on the Internet for Doctor Who, a seemingly unshakable pillar of online fandom. I’d like to pay tribute to Shaun Lyon, the owner of the site, who ran the madhouse for many years, and all the moderators who helped police the asylum. DWF’s end is a loss to fandom, and a personal loss to many fans, including myself.For many fans, the destruction of Outpost Gallifrey from the Internet is more of a shock than the destruction of Gallifrey in the Time War ever was. For me, the Doctor Who Forum has been, along with Doctor Who Magazine, one of the main ways I’ve connected with Doctor Who fandom. I’ve been logging on regularly for almost ten years, from way back in the wilderness years when a new series of Doctor Who seemed as likely as a snowman convention in the Sahara, through to the present golden age when Doctor Who is giddyingly entertaining and astonishingly popular.

The forum has been more than just an idle distraction. Through the forums, I’ve made real friends from around the world, met other fans, developed opinions, had a laugh and enjoyed Doctor Who all the more for sharing the experience.

I know that Internet forums have a bad reputation in many quarters, and the Doctor Who Forum certainly had its share of nutters, from those who complained about the size of the TARDIS windows to those who insisted that Adam was really Davros. Online, there’s always a vocal minority who make their dislike of the show known loud and clear. But all that nonsense is only one small part of the picture.

The big picture is that the Doctor Who Forum was as vibrant, intelligent, passionate, creative and exciting as any community on the Internet. From the passionate, in-depth discussion of each new episode, to the fan art and fiction, to the crazy speculation and way-out theories (almost a match for the imagination of Russell T Davies!), this was a place where love for Doctor Who oozed from every post. Even when the fans complain about things, as they often do, they do so because they care deeply about the show, because they want it to be the very best it can.

Of course, there are many other Doctor Who websites out there. Online fandom will morph and coalesce, taking new forms, regenerating itself, just like the Doctor. The Doctor Who Forum will soon be dead, but long live online Doctor Who fandom.